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Purchase includes free access to book updates online and a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Chapters: Milton Hershey School, Valley Forge Military Academy and College, George School, the Hill School, Mercersburg Academy, Church Farm School, Westtown School, Wyoming Seminary, Girard College, the Kiski School, the Perkiomen School, John Beck's Boys Academy. Excerpt:CFS, The School at Church Farm History CFS, The School at Church Farm was founded as the "Church Farm School" in 1918 by the Rev. Dr. Charles W. Shreiner. Shreiner, an Episcopal priest, established the school in Glen Loch, Pennsylvania , on U.S. Route 30 between Frazer and Exton, as a boarding school for boys from broken homes, primarily those without fathers. The sons of clergy, members of the armed services, and police officers were a second focus of the school in its early days. The Founder, Rev. Shreiner, because of his strict belief in the importance of discipline and a strong work ethic, was known to the boys as the "Colonel." The school integrated in 1963 and is today recognized as one of the most diverse college-preparatory boarding schools in the country. After the Colonel's death in 1964, the school was placed under the direction of his son, Dr. Charles Shreiner, Jr., a World War II veteran, who served until retirement in 1987. The school's third headmaster, Charles "Terry" Shreiner, III, the founder's grandson, led the school from 1987 until 2008, leaving in June for a year-long sabbatical prior to a planned 2009 retirement. The School is currently under the leadership of an interim headmaster, Thomas Rodd, Jr., who will be replaced by Rev. Ned Sherrill in July 2009 as the new headmaster. Presently, the School's academic program is designed for boys in grades 7-12. (A "junior school" of grades 5-6 was phased out in the 1960s.) The school offers a well-rounded, rigorous, college preparatory education, includ... ... Read more

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Order your own softcover color reprint of a previously owned high school yearbook. Whether you no longer have your own copy or want to surprise someone with a unique gift, the memories in this yearbook are sure to make someone smile! All the pages and images are reproduced as-is, which means your copy may show handwriting or effects of aging, and that certain pages, images, or other content may be omitted, missing, or obscured. This color print will preserve any images originally printed in color (including the cover), but won't add color to images originally printed in black & white. You can preview the color pages before you buy at www.classmates.com/yearbooks.Don't miss out! Bring home a piece of your history. ... Read more

Product Description
Order your own softcover color reprint of a previously owned high school yearbook. Whether you no longer have your own copy or want to surprise someone with a unique gift, the memories in this yearbook are sure to make someone smile! All the pages and images are reproduced as-is, which means your copy may show handwriting or effects of aging, and that certain pages, images, or other content may be omitted, missing, or obscured. This color print will preserve any images originally printed in color (including the cover), but won't add color to images originally printed in black & white. You can preview the color pages before you buy at www.classmates.com/yearbooks.Don't miss out! Bring home a piece of your history. ... Read more

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Pennsylvania's soldiers' orphan schools : giving a brief account of the origin of the late civil war, the rise and progress of the orphan system, and legislative enactments relating thereto ; with brief sketches and engravings of the several institutions, with names of pupils subjoined (1876)

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This is an OCR edition without illustrations or index. It may have numerous typos or missing text. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from the publisher's website (GeneralBooksClub.com). You can also preview excerpts of the book there. Purchasers are also entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subjects: Great Britain; Confederate States of America; Seals (Numismatics); Biography ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Historical Interpretation is Alive and Well in America!
There are many wonderful facets to this story about a young boy who joins his family for an annual reenactment of the battle at Gettysburg. A pictoral essay provides an authentic look at the preparation and event providing an excellent forum for discussion among readers. The story, however, told from the perspective of this proud, young boy, shares a spirit of patriotism and historical empathy this is often difficult to relay to children as well as adults. Charley's experiences interpreting history as a reenactor emphasize the power of experiential learning. Every Social Studies teacher should read, learn from and share this beautiful story with students making note of the many history teachers in our students' lives -- parents, siblings, community members, museums and organizations! ... Read more

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High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Valley Forge Military Academy & College (usually shortened as VFMAC or Valley Forge historically referred as "Little West Point"), self-styled as The Finest Institution of its Kind in the World, is an American all male boarding school (grades 7-12) and coeducational (as of Fall 2006) junior college in the military school tradition. Valley Forge Military College is officially designated as the Military College of Pennsylvania, and is one of five military junior colleges and is home to the nation's "Best Army ROTC Early Commissioning Program". The school is located in the Pennsylvania Main Line suburb of Wayne in Radnor Township, USA (outside of Philadelphia). ... Read more

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This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library's large-scale digitization efforts. The Library seeks to preserve the intellectual content of items in a manner that facilitates and promotes a variety of uses. The digital reformatting process results in an electronic version of the original text that can be both accessed online and used to create new print copies. The Library also understands and values the usefulness of print and makes reprints available to the public whenever possible. This book and hundreds of thousands of others can be found in the HathiTrust, an archive of the digitized collections of many great research libraries. For access to the University of Michigan Library's digital collections, please see http://www.lib.umich.edu and for information about the HathiTrust, please visit http://www.hathitrust.org ... Read more

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A true story of hometown heroes.

Doylestown, Pennsylvania, was home to the greatest high school football rivalry in the state. There was Central Bucks West, captained by senior fullback/ linebacker Bryan Buckley. And there was Central Bucks East, led by senior lineman Colby Umbrell.

Bryan and Colby would meet each other as opponents in a game played on a grass field, but their dreams and devotion to their country after the horrific events of September 11, 2001 would lead each of them to the conflict in the Middle East. Only one would return.

This slice of small-town American life is the compelling chronicle of two outstanding athletes: their lives, the game they loved, and the separate journeys they would undergo from the football field to the battlefield. But it is also a chronicle of those who helped shape them into the men they became, and the community that watched and cheered as they grew from game-playing boys into fighting men-and witnessed a sacrifice it would never forget.

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Customer Reviews (7)

Excellent book!
I bought this book for my husband for Valentine's Day because it was about two things he loves: football and war~!He loved the book!Great writer!

Fading Echoes
This was purchased as a gift for my children who attended Doylestown high schools but now live States away.It was like coming home through the pages of the book.I have recommended this to many people, who in turn have ordered it, recommended it and created more sales of Fading Echoes.Even in-laws who know nothing of the local characters, have found this to be well worth reading.

compelling story, poorly written
The story of these two young men is, indeed, compelling. In the hands of this author, though, getting through it is like walking through a swamp. The first half is filled with an inane level of detail concerning the high school football careers of each player. Unfortunately, their high school football careers are just not that interesting. One played for a good team, the other for a mediocre one in a part of the country where high school football is important. One of the coaches is a mini Vince Lombardi for whom football is life. There is enough play by play of essentially meaningless games to last a lifetime in this book.

If you make it through the first half,the second half partially makes up for the pain inflicted in the first. Both of these young men willingly undertook a dangerous but important mission. That one ultimately paid with his life is a tragedy too often repeated. The best parts of the book, not surprisingly, are the sections composed of Umbrell and Scott's diaries--their stories told in their words. Ultimately, this isa compelling and tragic story rendered almost unreadable by an author in over his head.

Two People--One Goal
Fading Echoes tells the story of Bryan Buckley and Colby Umbell.They both played high school football against each other in Pennsylvania.Then both made the decision to join the sservice.The first half of the book deals with their high school careers and the second half with their military careers.I enjoyed it!

Worth reading once you get to the second half
I gave this book four stars because to me it was like reading two books; the first half was three stars, and the second half was five stars.

The author is an award winning sportswriter who traces the lives of Bryan Buckley and Colby Umbrell from their days playing football at competing high schools in Doylestown, Pennsyvlania to college and then into the military during the Iraq war, where one of them makes the supreme sacrifice for his country.

The first half of the book often sounds like a sports column as the author describes in excruciating detail different football games, coaches, and game plans--but with only a minimum of attention to bringing the reader closer to Bryan and Colby. He repeatedly uses two literary techniques that are a sign of weak writing: (1) the author will state, for example, that Colby liked to debate politics, but never tries to recreate a single one of those debates; in other words, the author tells, but does not show, (2) frequently the author will state that someone "recalled" a certain observation about Bryan or Colby; but the reader never gets to experience the situation that forms the basis for that observation. In short, there is a lack of immediacy and intimacy with these two young men in the first half of the book. That kind of detachment works fine when writing a sports column, but I was looking forward to something more personal in this book.

The second half of the book is totally different. The reader see letters and emails written by these two young men, and shares their experiences in the military. Further, when one them is killed, the author nicely explores the reaction of the families, friends, and community. Indeed this book shows great empathy for those families who have lost a loved one in the military. The choice of the book's title becomes clear at the end when the mother and father of the slain son are standing at his tomb in Arlington cemetery and the only sound they hear are the chimes of the clock at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, "the fading echoes filling the cemetery."

The first half of the book is filled with excessive statistics and scores; but the second half is filled with human emotions. In the first half Bryan and Colby were merely people that I was reading about; in the second half I really got to know them.

Bottom line: Despite its shortcomings, there is much to recommend this book. I am glad that I read it.

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